The use of electrical switches is widespread in the present electronic age. Simple electrical switches are used for a variety of purposes ranging from household appliances to complex computer circuitry. These simple electrical switches must be inexpensive to manufacture and must be produced in large quantities to fill large demands.
To date, most simple electrical switches are fabricated with separate molded non-conductive components and conductive contact elements. These molded non-conductive components and conductive elements are typically assembled together at some time after the molded components have cured. Thus, at least two fabrication steps are required for these simple electrical switches: a molding step and an assembling step.
Furthermore, there are currently no electrical switches available which have a conductive elastomer grafted directly to a molded non-conductive component thereof. Such a conductive elastomer could provide an conducting contact surface for an electrical switch. Additionally, the conductive elastomer could be grafted to the molded non-conductive component of the electrical switch during the processing of the molded non-conductive component of the electrical switch, thereby shortening or eliminating a fabrication step.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a molded electrical switch that can be produced in high volumes with a minimum number of fabrication steps.